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Helpful tips and tricks any musician can use.
Bookended Bassoon Blogging for 2014
Ok, so, it’s been a long time since I last posted. I made some promises I couldn’t keep. And worst of all, I’ve neglected this blog.
read morePracticing When You Can’t Practice
In light of current events I thought it would be a great idea to explain some ways one can still practice even if you can’t touch your instrument. Having sustained a finger injury, and recently, surgery, I’ll not be able to physically work on any instrument, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t still focus my energies on my craft. An injury or a segregation from your horn is not the end of the world, we can’t all practice 24 hours a day, but we must learn a few ways of staying sharp when we are away. Below are a list of ideas for keeping your mind in shape.
read moreBassoon Tools Explained: Part 2 Making Blanks
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! I’m back again to explain the next set of tools a bassoonist should have.
At this stage you’ll need to have all the tools for maintaining and finishing your reeds as well as these. You’ll only need these tools if you’re buying your cane already shaped and profiled. If you have a shaper, you can buy pre-profiled and unshaped cane, but I prefer to shape my cane BEFORE it’s profiled as there’s less of a chance of ruining the shape.
read moreChoosing an Instrument- Piano Edition
For many people, and parent’s especially, they’re concerned with making sure the student (or themselves) are going to continue to have an interest in learning to play the piano before they fork out thousands of dollars for a piano. This makes sense, and I will never argue it, but please be fully aware of all of your options before you plunk down $99 for that cheesy keyboard with all the “Bells and Whistles.”
read moreBassoon Tools Explained: Part 1
Many of my bassoon students who are starting out need guidance on what type of bassoon tools they should buy, and when it’s appropriate for them to buy them.
I think it’s easiest to think of augmenting your bassoon tools in three stages.
1. Reed maintenance and finishing.
2. Blank Making.
read moreSmartphones Make Smart Practicing
We all know that smartphones have completely changed the way we communicate, travel, and spend our free time while waiting at the dentist, but do you know how much a smartphone can improve your practice sessions?
read moreUsing the Internet as a Practice Tool
In my lessons with students, I’ve found that they usually have a lot of questions they’ve run across during the week that they’ll save for lesson time. Many of these questions are unnecessary and encroach upon normal practice time. While, I always encourage my students to call me if they have any questions about what they should be doing during the week, problems with reeds, questions about sheet music, fingerings, etc., more often then not they’ll use it as an excuse to avoid practicing that week.
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